Potato-slicing machine



July 14, 1925. I 1 1,546,152

' R.S.TRYNOSK| POTATO SLICING MACHINE Filed March 7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3o aunt Rubcri' 5Ifvyhoakl IE- -a as album Patented July 14, 1925 UNITED sTA ROBERT'S. TRYNOSKI, ROCHESTER, NEWYORK.

1,546,152 PATENT omcz.

POTATO-SLICING MACHINE.

Application filed; March 7, 1925. seriarno. 13,852.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. TRYNOSKI, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements ;in Potato- Slicing Machines, of which the following is a specification. v

The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved type of slicing machine for slicing boiled potatoes for use in making potato salad, fried or hash browned potatoes, etc. I I

I This and other objects of this invention will be fully illustrated in the drawing, described in the specification and pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the slicing machine. I

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the slicing machine. v V

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the slicing machine, the section being taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the machine, the section being taken on the line 4:"4 of Figure 2,

the plunger being shown moved half Way into the-hopper. Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the slicing screens used in the slicing machine.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view of one of the supporting sleevesof one of the movable cutting wires used in the slicing machine.

Figure 7 is a sectional view of a portion of the handle and ratchet connecting the handle with the sprocket pinion, the section being taken on the line 7 7" of Figure 1.

In the several figures of the drawings like reference numerals indicate like parts.

The slicing machine forming the subject matter of my present invention is adapted for use in restaurants, delicatessen stores etc. in fact in any establishment in which a quantity of boiled potatoes are used for making potato salads, fried or hash browned potatoes etc.

As illustrated in the drawings the machine is mounted on a suitable base 1' supporting the uprights 2 and 3 on' which thecutting mechanism of the machine is mounted and the uprights 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 on which the driving mechanism of the machine is supported. Besides these uprights the base is provided with an elevated platform 9 on which thehopper and feeding mechanism is mounted. The hopper is made just large enough to receive a hand full of potatoes at one time and comprises the two sides 10 and 11 that are suitably supported on the sides of the platform 9 of the base. Between the sides is mounted the plunger 12 which is operated to'slide between'the sides from one end of the platform to. the other end, to force the potatoes placed into the hopper thru the cutting screen 13 located at the discharge end of the hopper. The sides 10 and 11 are turned over at the top to form the flanges 14 and 15 that overhang the plunger 12 on each side thereof and hold the plunger in place in the hopper-during its reciprocating movement therein. j The cutting screen 13 comprises a rectangular frame having a pair of vertical channels 16 and 17 provided on the inside, one at each end thereof. The outwardly projecting vertical flanges 18 and 19 provided on the outer ends of the sides 10 and 11 of the hopper are adapted to engage into the channels of the cutting screen and hold the screen in place at the end of the hopper. This permits the use of several interchangeable cutting screens for the hopper so that large and small slices can be cut with the same machine, by simply placing a cutting screen having either large or small openings into the discharge end of the hopper.

The plunger 12 of the feeding mechanism is bent up of sheet metal and is provided with the rearwardly-projecting flanges 12 and 12 one at the top and the other at the.

14 and 15 of the sides of the hopper. The

in the uprights 4 and 5 and carries the gear 25 Meshing with the gear 25 is the pinion 26 keyed to the shaft 27. This shaft also carries the sprocket wheel 28 which is driven by the sprocket 29. The sprocket chain is 7 mounted between the sprocket 28 and 30 e, prises the spring 1 tlnihuhoi; the ci and isdriven by the sprocket 31 that is held in mesh with the sprocket chain'29. The sprocket 31 is mounted to rotate on the stud 32 carried in the upright 8-. p A handle 38 is also mounted to rotate on this stud and is "connected, with the sprocket fiixhyaneanu'oitaa ratchet mechanism that will drive the sprocket in but one direction that 18 a clock- Wise rotation. This ratchet mechanism comii'ilr W5 and in pocket 35 formed in the sideoi t 31. This pocket has a shoulder atone end and an inclined runway leading into the opposite end so that on the rotation of the handle the spring pressed pin can slide down into the pocket on the inclined runway until it rests against the shoulder of the pocket. On the further rotation oi the bandle the sprocket then rotates with the handle being driven by it through the engagement of the spring pressed pin with the pocket in the sprocket. reverse movement of the handle on the other hand will move the pin out of engagement with the pocket and while it may drop into the pocket at each revolution it cannot drive the sprocket because instead of engaging a shoulder in the pocket the pin will slide over the inclined runway leading out of the pocket.

The drive shaft 2% supports a guide block which is located within the slot 23 oi? the plunger and supports the free end of the plunger during its reciprocating movement. The drive shaft has also the mutilated pinion 36 keyed thereon and this pinion is adapted to mesh with the rack 22, carried on the side or the plunger 20. I The mutilat-ed gear is adjusted and timed on the shaft 24 so as to mesh with the rack 22 during a part oi its revolution to move the plunger it'orivard for a full stroke and iorce the' potatoes in thehopper thru the cutting screen in the end'oit' the hopper. A slow and even motion is thus given to the plunger for its forward motion. The return movement of the plunger on the other hand is quick in orderto move the plunger back out of the hopper and allow another handful of potatoes to be placed into it. by This quick return movement oi the plunger is secured by the engagement of the dog 21 with the crank pin 37 carried by the crank 38. This crank is keyed to the end of the shaft 27 and rotates with it. It is driven in a counter clock wise direction as indicated by the arrow and when the plunger has been moved forward by the rack and pinion as above described, the dog 21 carried by the plunger held in the dotted line position and presents a U shaped pocket for the crank pin 37 to engage into it. Thistakes place "when. the crank 38 has been moved into the dotted horizontal position at the end oi half of its p s P nter carried in antic he sprocket another half of a revolution and has moved the plunger back to its starting position.

l1 from the dog and passes out of the pocket in theend of it. A pin 40 carried in the side of the stem of the plunger 20 supports the dog in i sllo on al .witsel tby n1 y i pin it) thus supports the dog while the stem of theplunger is moved forward by the rack and mutilated pinion located onthe other side oi the plunger 20.

The mutilated pinion has a series: of teeth cut away and the rotation of the pinion is timed so that this nnrtilated portion of the pinion faces the rack while the crank 38 and dog 21 move the plunger back; in this way the teeth of the mutilated gear 0perative to move the plunger at a uniform speed "forward to force the potatoes out of the hopper and thru. the cutting screen after which the crank 38 and dog21 moves the plunger back to its starting position at an. accelerated speed making it possible to quickly till the hopper with potatoes for the next slicing operation.

The feeding niechanisi'n. above described forces the potatoes thru the cutting screen and cuts the potatoes into horizontal sections or suitable cross section, This mechanism is supplemented by a cutting or slicing mechanism which operates to slice off narrow slices from the potatoes or portions of them as they are forced thru the cutting screen. This cutting or slicing mechanism comprises a series cit cutting wires 1 1 that are spanned between two endless sprocket chains 42 and 4:3. The sprocket chains are driven by the sprockets 4 1 and a5 keyed to the'shatt This shaft is mounted in suit able bearingsprovided in the uprights 2 and 3 near the lower ends thereof. The shaft 4:6 has also the. sprocket 8Q keyed thereon by means of which it is driven thru the chain 29. The endless sprocket chains travel over the pulleys l4 and 45 thatare. mounted to rotate on the shaft 47. This shaft is also supported between the uprights 2 and 3 above the shaft 46'.

The sprocket chains 42 and 43 are spaced apart by suitable; spacing bars 48, 48' that are fastened to the same links of the chains between which the cutting wires 41 are ens pended.) These spacing bars are curved at the ends and are mounted between the sprocket chains so as to oroiec't inwardly from the chains parallel to the cutting wires 41. The links of the chains which support the cutting Wires are thus held rigidly apart and keep the cutting wires taut. The ends oi? the cutting wires are held. in place in errthzirt; the? crank pin: disses itself position whenthe crank rung away suitable sleeves that are threaded to lugs or studs that are fastened to the links of the endless chains.

The endless chains are driven by the chain 29 on the rotation of the handle 33 so that the cutting wires are continuously moved in a vertical plane in front of the cutting screen While the potatoes are being forced thru it. In so doing the cutting wires slice off the ends of the divided sections of the potatoes formed by forcing the potatoes thru suitable cutting wires. In this way the position of the wires forming the cutting screen with either large or small openings determines the size of the slices that are cut by the slicing machine While the thickness of the slices is determined by the distance the potato-es are fed thru the screen before they are sliced off by one of the cutting Wires.

The shaft 24 carries a guide block that supports and guides the rear stem 20 during its reciprocation movement being supported and held in place in the slot of this stem and by the shaft 24.

I claim: 7

1. In a boiled potato slicing machine, the combination of a base, a hopper provided on said base, a plunger mounted to reciprocate in said hopper, means for moving said plunger at a slow speed in one direction and a fast speed in the return direction during each reciprocation thereof, a cutting screen mounted in front of said hopper, a series of horizontal cutting wires mounted to travel in front of said cutting screen.

2. In a. boiled potato slicing machine, the combination of a base, a hopper mounted on said base, a plunger adapted to reciprocate in said hopper, a cutting screen in front of said hopper and said plunger, a pair of endless chains adapted to rotate in front of said hopper, cutting wires carried by said endless chains and moved past said cutting screen on the rotation of said endless chains.

3. In a boiled potato slicing machine, the combination of a base, a hopper mounted on said base, a plunger mounted to slide in said hopper, a cutting screen in front of said hopper and parallel cutting wires adapted to move past said cutting screen in but one direction.

4. In a boiled potato slicing machine, the combination of a base, a hopper on said base, a cutting screen at one end of said hopper, means for forcing boiled potatoes from said hopper thru said cutting screen, parallel cutting wires adapted to move in front of said cutting screen and successively cut slices from the potatoes forced thru said cutting screen.

5. In a boiled potato slicing machine, the combination of a base, a hopper on said base, a plunger mounted to reciprocate in said hopper, a stem for said plunger, a rack carried on one side of said stem, a dog mounted to swing on the other side of said stem, a mutilated pinion adapted to mesh with said rack carried on said stem to move said plunger in one direction in said hopper, a crank adapted to engage with said dog carried on the other sideof said stem and adapted to move said plunger back to its starting position, a sprocket wheel and sprocket chain for rotating said crank and said mutilated pinion, a sprocket pinion adapted to mesh said sprocket chain, a crank handle and a ratchet connection between said crank handle and said sprocket pinion adapted to turn said sprocket pinion, sprocket chain and gearing connected thereto in but one direction.

6. In a boiled potato slicing machine, the combination of a base, a hopper on said base, a plunger mounted to reciprocate in said base, a cutting screen in front of said hopper, a stationary and a rotating horizontal shaft mounted in front of said cutting screen, a pair of sprockets carried by said rotating shaft and a pair of pulleys mounted to rotate on said stationary shaft, a pair of endless sprocket chains adapted to travel over said sprockets and said pulleys, spacing bars carried between said chains to hold said chains parallel to each other, cutting Wires spaced between said chains parallel to said spacing bars, said cutting Wires being adapted to be moved in front of said cutting screen on the rotation of said sprocket chains.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT S. TRYNOSKI. 

